In September 2008, I was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer, a huge shock to me. Within you will find my journey into the scary world of cancer and my struggles to emerge from it.

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Big Moves

This month both my brother's family and Shanna's family are leaving their Middlesex county homes to move: my brother is moving to California from Princeton, NJ and Shanna from Arlington (near Boston) to here. They put their houses on the market the same week. Shanna had an offer almost instantly though lots of negotiation were involved. My brother had lots of interest but the offers didn't pour in until he lowered the price. He left more than a month ago for his job but his stuff left last week soon to be followed by his wife. He has a beautiful house on the coast overlooking the especially big waves.

Monday bright and early, I flew to Boston to help Shanna move the kids. INSOMNIA: hate it. Although I have no problem going to sleep, staying asleep is a problem. Usually it doesn't matter much. I just read all night but I had to get up very early Monday morning so Josh could drop me off at the airport on his way to work. So maybe I slept 3 hours. Of course I didn't drift asleep again until an half hour before the alarm went off.

I took what they kept calling an ultra low budget airline, which I carped about in my last post. Since I didn't want to pay $45/leg for carry-on, I put everything I needed in my purse. I had debated about shipping some stuff ahead of me in one of those all you can stuff mail boxes but decided that really I wasn't going to be there even 24 hours and would just borrow stuff from Shanna if I really needed it. I was wearing two shirts but I managed to spill coffee on both of them (Shanna's washing machine was still available). But the two planes I had to take were on time and I got to see Atlantic City though no buildings in sight, just foggy fields. Their airport has 5 gates and has not been updated in years. I think I slept most of my trip. I was looking forward to the final approach to Logan flying low over my favorite past running path on Castle Island but it was so foggy, I couldn't see the ground until I was on it.

The afternoon was spent watching the grandbabies while their parents ran various last minute errands. Some of the stuff I helped move into the truck. (The boys loved the truck-see pix later) We had a nice last- meal- ever -in- Arlington takeout Thai from my favorite restaurant there. Fortunately I did sleep that night so we could make our big drive the next morning.

Driving 750 miles by myself is tough enough. I have done it numerous times over the past 4 years. But add 3 very young children in and you have the recipe for a big headache. It is hard for little boys to sit still for so long. So they kept undoing their seatbelts. Also fun, territory wars and secret pinchings and denials that the other's crying had anything to do with him. And Ms. Tess, she wants her feeding s every 2.5 hours or else! The day before she had her first round of multiple shots and was not amused. She at least was in a better mood for the ride. I always tell Shanna how fast I can make the trip (12 hours the record which was when I drove back last month). She told me that no new records would be made that day. As it was, it took 14.5 hours. We were blessed with the fastest border crossings ever but ran into traffic and construction in various spots. We settled on a routine: I would drive and Shanna would crawl back there if she had to to mediate disputes and to keep in a steady supply of DVDs for the boys' viewing pleasure. At our rest stops, she'd feed Tess while I tried to entertain the boys and siphon off their considerable energy. Actually the whole ride worked out much better than we were afraid of and I love just talking to Shanna. So out last big trip from Boston and into Pure Michigan at sunset over the bridge into Detroit that from a distance, actually looks pretty. I drove a different route back than I usually do to try to avoid the awful traffic on the construction near my house. This takes us past the WORLD'S LARGEST TIRE, which I thought the boys would appreciate and our new fancy bridge. But avoiding construction was in vain. Three very busy lanes funnelled into one. Argghh!

Her husband spent yesterday loading the truck with the help of a student he had hired from their previous move. He should be on the road right now (or he will be in hellacious traffic) en route to NYC where he will pick up his brother to help with the drive and the move itself.

It is almost 8 am here. The boys have discovered all my garage sales purchases and are spreading them all over my living room. Steve is supervising. I don't think Shanna slept much. The boys had a major meltdown coming here last night. They were excited to be in a new place and wanted to explore but it was time for bed.

Steve and me

40th anniversary trip to Spain

About me

I am a mother of 3, wife of 1, and grandmother of 6. For years, I had been a medicinal chemist. Not long after I was retired early, I found myself with triple negative breast cancer. My struggles with it are in this blog along with the joys and trials of being a mother and grandmother. I love to be physically active, travel, read, and garden. Although my degrees are in chemistry and cellular biology not medicine, I keep up with the medical literature and report herein watching closely for good news against this deadly disease. As time goes on, my stay in Cancerland has become more a bad memory than a reality. This blog has since morphed into a photo blog in which I try to capture moments of beauty in my life.